Latest news with #Mijas
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
What Happened To Arcade Fire's New Album?
Arcade Fire's Pink Elephant misses the Billboard 200, marking the band's first full-length album not ... More to chart, despite strong pure sales. MIJAS, SPAIN - AUGUST 31: Singer Win Butler from Arcade Fire performs at Cala Mijas Fest on August 31, 2023 in Mijas, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Gallardo/Redferns) A little over a decade ago, Arcade Fire made history at the Grammys by winning Album of the Year for The Suburbs. The Canadian rock band became one of the few independent acts to come out on top in what is often considered the most prestigious category during music's biggest night. The rockers had already found great commercial success and critical acclaim and were on top of the world for a while. Now, with a new album out, it's clear that public interest in the United States has waned significantly, and that the former Grammy champions are now struggling even to reach the charts. Pink Elephant arrives on a number of music rankings in the U.S. this frame. While it performs fairly well on a handful of tallies, it is notably absent from one major ranking: the Billboard 200. The 200-spot ranking of the most consumed full-lengths and EPs in America does not include Pink Elephant, which is quite shocking, as Arcade Fire has never before seen one of its proper full-lengths fail to reach the tally. Previously, the group's debut effort, Funeral, stood as its lowest-charting success, and even that managed to rise to No. 123 more than 20 years ago. Since then, every one of Arcade Fire's projects has cracked the top 10 on the Billboard 200. Three of them — The Suburbs, Reflektor, and Everything Now — hit No. 1. It's only been three years since Arcade Fire last debuted a full-length on the Billboard 200. The simply-named We arrived in May 2022 and peaked at No. 6. Now, just a relatively short time later, Pink Elephant doesn't even mark a new low, as it can't reach the Billboard 200 at all. Pink Elephant does crack the top 10 on one other Billboard list this frame. It starts at No. 10 on the Top Album Sales chart with a little less than 6,200 pure purchases, according to Luminate. That sum, entirely in pure purchases, is enough to make it one of the bestselling releases in the country — but not quite large enough to bring it to the Billboard 200. The lowest-ranking title on that tally, Future's DS2, shifted 8,600 equivalent units in the past tracking frame. It seems that streaming activity didn't make much of an impact on Pink Elephant's performance. Pink Elephant also manages to appear on two other Billboard rankings after its first full tracking frame finished. It opens at No. 12 on the Vinyl Albums list, and it barely manages to reach the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, coming in at No. 49 on that 50-spot ranking. In mid-2022, months after the release of We, frontman and lead singer Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct by several women in articles published by Pitchfork. While the musician denied any wrongdoing – and has been supported by his wife Régine Chassagne (also a member of Arcade Fire) – the claims seem to have hurt the band's commercial appeal.
Wall Street Journal
19-05-2025
- Wall Street Journal
A Piece of Advice on the Power Grid in Spain
Regarding Gabriel Calzada and Manuel Fernández Ordóñez's op-ed 'How the Lights Went Out in Spain' (May 1): My wife and I were in Mijas, a tourist town in the hills of the Costa del Sol, at the time of the outage. The disruption was total. No power, cell service, internet or running water. Tourists in Europe are highly dependent on tap-to-pay, so they carry little cash. Without cell service and the internet, electronic payment systems didn't work. Banks closed at once making it impossible to get the cash needed to pay taxi drivers to get down the mountain. And forget about calling an Uber. The panic was palpable. When I heard that the cause was oscillations, I told my wife the problem was likely the excessive use of solar. As an electrical engineer I know the electric grid requires a perfect balance between supply and demand, which is difficult to maintain with a high percentage of power coming from solar and wind. The passage of clouds can actually add to the instability. As the authors explain, without the shock absorbers of rotating synchronous generators, stability becomes very difficult to maintain. The result, as was learned on vacation, can be catastrophic.
The Sun
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
James Argent's Miss Sweden girlfriend ‘sobbed to stranger in street' after he pushed her down steps in Spain
JAMES Argent's beauty queen girlfriend sobbed to a stranger in the street after being pushed down the steps by her famous boyfriend, it has been reported. Argent abandoned Nicoline Artursson, 32, after the incident which forced her to turn to the passerby for help. 4 4 According to The Mirror, the witness had been dining in a restaurant in Mijas, Spain, when he noticed a commotion. The witness said that they heard 'a lot of screaming in the house', while Argent threw all of his clothes from the balcony. Then, the former Towie star 'ran out with a large bag'. The witness went on to say: 'Nicoline was crying a lot and very nervous and agitated on the street, trying to call the police, but they didn't speak English, so I went to help her translate. 'She said nothing like this had ever happened before.' The former Miss Sweden then said: 'I can't believe what's planned to have a family." She added: 'I'm in total shock…my life with Arg was so happy before this."' According to the witness, the incident occurred at 11pm with both Nicoline's mother and the police arriving after Argent had fled. The passerby claimed that the police encouraged Nicoline to report the incident. He added: 'Her mother told her to grab some clothes and said 'we'll go'. I went home but I told them if they needed help, I'm here.' Dan Edgar breaks silence on Arg's return to Towie - and behind the scenes Dancing On Ice struggle According to the witness, he had no idea that either Nicoline or Argent were famous. They said: 'I just saw a girl crying on the street trying to call the police, and I went out to help and translate. 'Then she stayed with the police, and I went home. 'She kept thanking me for being with her and helping her.' Argent was arrested by the police on bank holiday Monday, shortly after fleeing from the scene. He was eventually hauled in front of a court, where he admitted a charge of domestic violence. The former Towie star was given a suspended sentence, as well as a two-year-restraining order which prevents him from seeing or contacting Nicoline. He was also forced to attend a 'resocialisation course in the field of gender violence' by the Court of Violence Against Women in Fuengirola. His former girlfriend sat in the Fuengirola court while his sentence was handed down. Nicoline remained in Spain after the incident, while Argent returned to Essex in the UK. Step in to prevent it By Emma Armstrong, CEO of charity I Choose Freedom MOST abuse incidents happen behind closed doors and, because of low conviction rates, no one knows the full scale. In this case, the restraining order is important as domestic abuse is rarely a one-off. Including a gender violence course also shows the Spanish court knows prevention is critical. We will see a meaningful reduction in cases only when we combine a response that deals with the immediate issue, and prevents abuse in future. Argent finally broke his silence on May 14, after days of silence, by talking to the MailOnline. He said: "I haven't relapsed. 'I am still three years and four months clean and sober. "I am devastated by what's happened." One of his friends also revealed more about the star's whereabouts after his arrest. The friend told The Sun: 'James has been at home in Essex since this happened. 'He said he had a row with Nicoline and that he tried to end the argument. "James said he pushed Nicoline and that she fell. He is remorseful about what happened but is insisting he never meant any harm. 'He's extremely sorry for it. 'James said he was honest when he spoke to the police and told them everything that had happened.' Domestic abuse - how to get help DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone - including men - and does not always involve physical violence. Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship: Emotional abuse - Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse - gaslighting - being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to Threats and intimidation - Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you Physical abuse - This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten. Sexual abuse - Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent. If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers: The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night Men who are being abused can call Respect Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or ManKind on 0182 3334 244 Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring Galop on 0800 999 5428 If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999 Remember, you are not alone. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime. Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse. 4 4
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Towie star James Argent sentenced for gender violence in Spain
Reality TV personality James Argent has been handed a suspended prison sentence for a gender violence offence against his partner while holidaying in ex-The Only Way is Essex (Towie) star, 37, was on a getaway with former Miss Sweden, Nicoline Artursson, in Mijas, near Malaga, on 5 admitted the offence and was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, court records shared with the BBC was banned from contacting Ms Artursson, 32, during this period. Argent's representatives have been approached for comment. Argent, known as Arg, rose to fame on the ITV reality show, becoming one of its most prominent characters between 2010 and police said he was arrested on 5 May for "an alleged crime of domestic violence".Argent appeared before the Court of Violence against Women, in Fuengirola, later that day. A spokesman for the Spanish Ministry of Justice said Argent "acknowledges the facts and admits the penalty".He said the crime was "ill-treatment in the field of gender violence" and that Argent must complete a gender violence rehabilitation course as part of his sentence."The suspension would be lifted if [Argent] fails to comply with the measures imposed," the spokesman victim, Ms Artursson, is a fashion model who was crowned Miss Sweden in 2011. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
